Jubo League leader, 11 BNP men sued

A case was filed on Friday night accusing a local leader of Jubo League and 11 BNP men of torching a Hindu temple at Falda in Bhuapur upazila on April 2.
President of Sarbojonin Kali Mandir Committee, also general secretary of Falda union unit of Awami League (AL) Saran Datta filed the case with Bhuapur police station against Taherul Islam Tota, convenor of Bhuapur upazila unit of Jubo League, Falda union BNP general secretary Abdul Hannan, and local BNP activists Nazmul Sarkar, Ershad Ali, Harun-or-Rashid, Anisur Rahman Jammu, Abdul Malek, Shah Alam, Asad Sarker, Nayem Miah, Mizanur Rahman Auntu and Belal Hossain.
Hares Ali Miah, officer in-charge (OC) of Bhuapur police station, told this correspondent that the plaintiff accused the 12 of torching the temple out of previous enmity.
He also alleged that property worth Tk 60 lakh of the 120-year-old temple was damaged as the hoodlums also looted five tolas of gold ornament from the idols during the incident.
Another official of the PS said, police have already arrested three of the accused-- Asad Sarker, Mizanur Rahman and Shah Alam in this connection.
Local sources said, main accused Taherul Islam Tota was defeated in the union parishad (UP) election on June, 2011 as the local Hindus did not support him as the AL backed candidate. That is why local AL men led by Tota vandalised several houses in the area including that of the Kali Mandir Committee general secretary Santosh Datta on June 3, they said.
The temple torching might have followed the incident, local Hindus said.
A gang poured petrol and set the Sarbojonin Kali Mandir, the oldest and biggest temple in the upazila, on fire early Tuesday, they said.